


Christmas blues

by Accidie



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Enjolras comes from both a Jewish and Christian household, Enjolras feels lonely, Gen, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 03:42:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13115250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accidie/pseuds/Accidie
Summary: It's the first Christmas alone for Enjolras. Fortunately, Grantaire is there to cheer him up.





	Christmas blues

Enjolras was, for the first time in his life, alone on Christmas. He didn't really celebrate it that much in his adulthood, he usually ate dinner with Combeferre and watched some cheesy film. It was Combeferre who every year insisted, said that no matter what his feelings were for the holiday, no one should be alone on Christmas Eve. But this year he was. Combeferre had to go overseas to his family, and he didn't want to intrude on his other friends' plans. He also didn't know if he could stand any other kind of Christmas celebration than his traditional one, the simplicity of it was it's appeal. 

When he was a kid, it was his father who insisted on celebrating Christmas. His father had grown in a typical bourgeoisie household, only the holiday food cost a fortune, and he had been lavished in gifts. His father always talked about Christmas in such a fond way that neither Enjolras or his mother wanted to spoil the fun for him. His mother had a typical Jewish upbringing. While she didn't mind celebrating her husband's Christian holidays, she preferred keeping to her own traditions.  

He hadn't spoken to his parents in a while. They travelled around the world helping those in need, he never really knew when they would be home to answer his calls. They were just like him, the cause was always the priority, family wasn't as important as taking care of the poor and building schools in the remote places of Uganda. 

Enjolras wasn't prone to nostalgia, but now, sitting in the Musain at Christmas eve with the ABC Society's monthly financial report with only strangers around him that were just as lonely as he was, he missed his childhood. 

Perhaps it was for the best that Combeferre wasn't in the country, after all he had a lot of paperwork to do. Transfer the member list from paper to their electronic document, financial reports, he needed to write something to put on the website about another embezzlement scandal in the state and- 

"Justice never rests, huh?" 

Grantaire. If his day couldn't get any worse. 

"If you are here to mock me, feel free to go elsewhere", Enjolras said. "I have things to do."

Grantaire flinched and now he looked sad, like he always did when Enjolras spoke harshly. 

"You know I would never mock you", Grantaire said with that softness that was only ever reserved for him. "I heard that Combeferre was going home for Christmas, so I knew where to find you. I thought to myself 'Where would I go if I were alone on the biggest holiday of the year, expect for the river to drown? What places would be open during this day? What would Enjolras do?' I was hoping you would do something more fun than work, but yet I didn't expect anything less. I usually come here to drink myself to sleep during the holidays. Today though, I came here to see you."

Enjolras was taken aback. "Why would you come here only to see me?"

The other man let out a bark of laughter and shook his head, as if Enjolras had missed something completely. But then Grantaire put on that soft expression again, almost looked a bit nervous. "I have a present for you", he said. 

"Oh.", Enjolras noticed the quite big package wrapped in newspaper in Grantaire's hands. How could he have missed it?

Enjolras lack of a reaction must have made Grantaire nervous for suddenly he started rambling again. "I wasn't sure if you celebrated Christmas or even liked it. God, I hope I wasn't insensitive, I know you are kinda jewish? Or how are you kinda jewish, I mean that you are of course but I heard you talk about celebrating Christmas as a kid so I just assumed. I know we don't really have that relationship and that I am annoying but I just saw this and thought that you would like it and you don't have to keep it of course, I kept the recipe just in case you don't like it and to be fair it's probably a bit boring-"

"Grantaire," Enjolras interrupted. "Thank you. I really appreciate it. I haven't got you a present though."

Grantaire relaxed again, and his face split into a wide smile. "I didn't expect one. Here, open it."

It was heavy, Enjolras noticed. And for being an artist, Grantaire really did a lousy job in wrapping it. It was tape all over it, the plastic ribbons looked as if they had been stretched out. Still, it was quite charming. Enjolras wasn't the kind of person that cared about how something looked. After struggeling with the tape for a while, he finally could rip the newspaper of and in it was...

A Karl Marx "Das Kapital" piggy bank. 

Enjolras chuckled. Of course, Grantaire would gift him something like that, it was so typical him. 

"It's perfect, thank you", Enjolras smiled. 

"You are welcome."

They stared at the other in silence for a couple of seconds. "Well, Merry Christmas I guess?", Grantaire finally said. "I should probably leave, I have disrupted you enough."

"Merry Christmas", Enjolras said. 

Grantaire began to walk away and was almost at the door when Enjolras called after him. "Do you have plans for the evening?" 

"Drinking myself into an early grave," was Grantaire's reply.

"Have dinner with me, I bought some turkey just the other day." 

"You don't have to invite me over," Grantaire said. "I mean, I don't want to intrude."

"A friend never does."

It looked as if Grantaire was struck by lightning, he went stiff, his eyes wide, and Enjolras could swear he could see tears forming, before Grantaire once again went soft, let out a breath and smiled his characteristic smile. "Well, I would never say no to a friend."

Enjolras quickly packed his things into his backpack, not wanting to waste another minute, and just a few minutes later they were walking under the already dark and starry sky, snow whirling around them. 

Christmas wouldn't be so lonely after all.   


End file.
